The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Unless otherwise indicated herein, the materials described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Consumption of wine in America has steadily increased in the last two decades, growing from about 500 million gallons in the year 1996 to about 949 million gallons in 20161. The value of the total U.S. Wine Market for the year 2017 is estimated to be $62.7 billion, of which, $41.8 billion are domestically produced2. Currently, for the year 2018, the number of wineries in U.S. is estimated to be about 9,6543. The total vine growing acres in the U.S. was estimated to exceed 1,000,000 acres, as far back as 20124 1 Source: Wine Institute, DOC, BW166/Gomberg, Fredrikson & Associates estimates. Preliminary History revised.2 Source: Wines & Vines, 2018, BW166, 2018.3 Source: Statisa—The Statistics Portal.4 The world's grape growing (vineyard) surface area 2000-2012 by Per Karlsson, Jun. 6, 2013, Winemaking & Viticulture.
Owning and operating a vineyard is a tough business. “To take on the challenge of running a winery, you need to be determined, fearless, and passionate about your craft—although owning a vineyard seems romantic, the wine-making business is a tough one.”5 In addition to the upfront financial investments required for the land and the infrastructure (like building, bottling and cellar equipment, trucks, and so forth), there are multitude of potential problems that could arise with growing vines. Examples of these problems may include, but are not limited to, over or under irrigation, diseases (such as mildews and black rots), or pests (such as berry moth, Japanese beetles, and rose chafers). Further, these problems may vary from one varietal to another. And a vineyard typically grows vines of multiple varietals. 5 The Economics of Running a Winery, Aug. 20, 2018, Caroline Goldstein.
Additionally, it is not uncommon for a vineyard to span over 100 acres, with over 1000 vines planted per acre. And multiple varietals are planted in different sections of the vineyard. Thus, methods and apparatuses that can improve the management of growing vines of multiple varietals in a vineyard are desired.